The power of attention and the miracle that it provides
I was recently playing golf with someone who had the most outstanding day of putting I had witnessed in a long time. He made a bunch of 10-20-foot putts, 4 of them on consecutive holes. I asked him later on to tell me about his thoughts while putting. Here is his answer:
“I get an initial impression of the way the ball will react- general considerations - breaking right, left, straight, multiple, etc. I have found once I get that first impression it is very difficult to convince my mind that that impression was significantly wrong, so I don’t try. I try to understand the distance of the putt and speed to get a sense of the needed application of force. Then I pick a general spot vis-a-vis the hole. Then I concentrate on a solid hit -- without practice swings. See the ball, believe the line, hit the ball. I have given up the concept that I can carefully read all the contours of the green and then reproduce the exact shot to address all the minor variations. I find greater success going “big picture” and then working to execute that. It may not be very sophisticated, but its very freeing, which in the end reduces stress and improves reproducibility.”
Then I asked him “how important is it to you to make the putt?” His answer, “If I hit where/how I intended and it does not go in, I can live with that. Of course, this becomes even more true the further the putt. Those shorter putts, just beyond concession length, are probably the most stressful.”
I followed-up asking, “How much importance do you place on actually making the putt?” His answer, “Actually making the putt is of limited importance.” Then I asked, “if making the putt is of “limited” importance, then why do those shorter, almost-concession, putts become so stressful? His response was “because I think I should make those, so a lot of other thoughts and feelings seem to emerge.”
Even a great natural putter has a window somewhere near the cup, usually in the range of 2-4 feet where the stress and pressure mount. And, during a match, the stresses in that window become magnified. I’ve seen players in a match have trouble breathing immobilized by fear over a 2-foot putt to halve a hole.
Here’s an approach to manage those putts that are just out of the range of concession… those putts which create so much stress. Flip your attitude from one of fearful stress to one of thankfulness. Here’s an example of an inner conversation to have with yourself after your pre-putt routine (which should include some basic relaxation and balance). “Thank you for the opportunity to have this putt - it’s something I surely need to get better at and here is a wonderful opportunity.” Then, hyper focus your attention on a spot on the golf ball – and as you putt keep your gaze fixed to see the empty round spot that remains where the ball was when its gone. The only thing that matters is how well you maintain attention. When you try this you will find that you no longer have room for stress or fearfulness, and that you will actually start to enjoy that moment of quietly abiding in focused attention. Start to use golf psychology tools like this and as an additional benefit, more putts will go in.
Trying to find a way to “grind” those short putts into the hole through technical drills is less likely to work in the long run. Those drills are difficult to generalize to the real putting situation. Putting success that can endure emerges from abiding in attention. If your brain insists on some explanation for how this all works, consider that the state of abiding attention allows your most natural putting stroke to emerge without interference. And, as you know its actually not that hard to roll a ball 3 or 4 feet when you allow the power of attention to engage you in its miraculous power.
Even more so when you are confronted in life by that “putt” that creates stress and anxiety, rather than getting lost in habitual anxiety or avoidance, aspire to be fully present and with your full focus on the moment at hand. You might even call this a form of Zen golf coaching. You will be surprised that new solutions may emerge - ones you never thought about.